Pay-to-stay (imprisonment) - Wikipedia
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Very weird that I am so old and have literally never heard this mentioned in a TV show or book or movie or anything.

In four out of five states, if you go to prison, you are literally paying for the time you spend there.

As you can guess, this results in crippling debt as soon as you’re released.

The county gets back a fraction of what they hold over your head the rest of your life until you commit suicide(or die naturally and peacefully with the sword of damocles hanging over your head).

$20-$80 a day according to Rutgers.

Counties apparently sue people and employ wage garnishment to get back the money that majority of people obviously cannot pay back.

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/states-unfairly-burdening-incarcerated-people-pay-stay-fees

  • olav@theweird.space
    282·
    8 months ago

    @aodhsishaj @metaStatic bankruptcy is by far not the worse thing you can do. Often trying to unbury yourself will take longer to get back to solvency.

    We had to medical B out. Get cancer these days, particularly with a $6K+ deductible for a PPO and you’re toast. We managed to switch to a HMO before surgery and we were still toast. And I had a Good Job.

    File, get a pre-paid card then some high-interest you barely use, then some “normal” credit and it builds faster than you know

    • olav@theweird.space
      381·
      8 months ago

      @aodhsishaj @metaStatic

      If you think bankruptcy is bad, look at all the rich people and corps that do it as often as possible

      Edit: I mean Herr Trumptard has filed no less than six times to avoid paying people

      • I Cast Fist@programming.devEnglish
        8·
        8 months ago

        Rich people never pay what they owe, especially if they owe it to the gov’t. Unlike poor people, the police doesn’t knock on their door to get the money.

      • jkrtn@lemmy.mlEnglish
        6·
        8 months ago

        Did Donald file for personal bankruptcy or did a Donald business file for bankruptcy? It might be like stealing: legal and cool if you are a corporation and the victims are poors.

        • Audacious@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          3·
          8 months ago

          Corporations have more rights than the people, and rich people hide behind their companies. So, without looking it up, I’m guessing trump business.

    • aodhsishaj@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      8 months ago

      Bankruptcy without a lawyer, a permanent address and transportation to the courts is a serious hurdle. People rotating out of prison are already at a disadvantage. My point is they shouldn’t be in debt when they leave prison in the first place. The whole point is that they paid their debt to society.

      This isn’t, oh shit I’m in over my head in a cornerstore, restaurant, family warehouse, what have you. It’s very tone-deaf to not address the elephant in the room of these people entering society at a grave disadvantage.

      The services below should not be necessary for every person incarcerated by the state. The system is broken.

      https://legalbeagle.com/5666136-file-bankruptcy-prison.html

      https://library.nclc.org/article/bankruptcys-role-alleviating-criminal-justice-debt-0